Being Like Jesus

A word about Jesus. I hear some Christians say, "I want to be like Jesus," which is good, but I’m not sure we always understand how Jesus felt and acted, and what he said and did. There’s a portrait of Jesus in Matthew 9:35-38. Matthew writes, "Jesus traveled among all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The size of the harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest."

Everywhere Jesus went, huge crowds of people followed him. In the portrait above we learn that Jesus saw these people not as a hindrance, but as an opportunity for witness and ministry. First, he saw their needs. America is filled with people in need: the homeless, jobless, and hopeless. If you want to be like Jesus, you will have to really sense a person’s needs. Second, Jesus saw them as people needing God. In verse 36 Matthew says he saw them as ‘sheep without a shepherd.’ He wanted them to acknowledge God’s authority over life. Being like Jesus means wanting this for all people. And third, Jesus saw their potential. To him, every one of them was a precious soul with unlimited potential. Being like Jesus is having this kind of regard for humanity.

A key verse in this portrait is verse 36: "Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." The phrase, had compassion for them, literally means that Jesus became sick inside. His love for people was so sincere, he wept for people needing his help. If you really want to be like Jesus, you’ll have to let your love for people break your heart and make you vulnerable time and again.

Christ's Sayings

Christ’s words are fascinating! They promise life. They are loaded with grace. And if we accept his words as true, they have the power to transform the quality of our lives! Christ’s words make life worth living. They bring meaning and purpose to life, and they promise a life beyond a life. Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. And again, I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. And let’s not forget Christ’s words to Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live.

When Thomas More was awaiting execution in the Tower of London he wrote, The sayings of our Savior Jesus Christ were not a poet’s fable, nor a harper’s song, but the very holy Word of Almighty God himself. And this is what gives Christ’s sayings such power; all the might of God is contained within them. Our part is, to respond to them, by trying our best to comply with their appeals.

If a gritty paraphrase of Paul will help, Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is worth much. Living by Christ’s sayings is what counts (1 Corinthians 7:19). And remember: When we try to live by Christ’s sayings, we gain a better understanding of them. In the words of Oswald Chambers: The tiniest fragment of obedience, and heaven opens up and the profoundest truths of God are yours straight way. God will never reveal more truth about himself till you obey what you know already.

Praise Jesus for all his wonderful sayings. Let his words pierce your heart and change your way of thinking.